


Stranger Danger

by MalChilling



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Abuse of Authority, Allison adopted Five, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anxiety, Attempted Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Claire (Umbrella Academy) - Freeform, Five is out of character, Gaslighting, Gen, Guilt, Hopeful Ending, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, No Apocalypse (Umbrella Academy), Number Five | The Boy Has Issues, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Number Five | The Boy-centric, Ray also adopted Five, Sexual Assault, Sorry Ben, Underage - Freeform, everyone is, no beta we die like ben, self gaslighting, sexual assault on a minor, sorry - Freeform, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:08:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25837033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalChilling/pseuds/MalChilling
Summary: Five doesn't like his school's Vice Principal. He has a good reason.Excerpt:“Umm,” God, why did he start off like this? He takes a deep breath before continuing, getting his damn emotions in check. “He got me in his office, and he gave me some candy. He said he wanted to check in with me because he thought I was being bullied.”Suddenly, he’s back there again. Carver giving his dark smiles with that disgusting look in his eyes.Note: Five is assaulted, but manages to get away. Unfortunately, there are other kids who didn't.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy & Klaus Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy) & Everyone
Comments: 20
Kudos: 310





	Stranger Danger

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, please be very careful reading this. Put yourself first. If I need to tag something, please tell me. 
> 
> Anyway, this is sort of an alternate universe, where Ray comes back with Allison, and Five is adopted by them so he can a life, but his name is changed, although he still goes by Five. I named him Nicholas because of the show the guy who plays Five used to be in, called Nicky Ricky Dicky and Dawn. Yes, I know this because I have young children in my life. Anyway, I thought it'd be nice. 
> 
> But if it need to be said, I can say it used to be Ray's father's name or something..

“Hey, Five.” Kenny waves as he runs over, cheeks flushed and panting. Five resists the urge to roll his eyes, reminding himself that he needed to be nicer. Even to Kenny. Who was so weird. He puts down To Kill a Mockingbird, making sure to remember the page before shoving it into his bag. His English teacher insisted on annotations so he’d have to do that later. Five stands to stretch and sits back down on the concrete wall that all the kids couldn't resist climbing onto. Including himself. 

“Hey, Kenny.” Five says, averting his gaze and wondering what his luck was that he ended up in the school as the kid from the bowling alley. He spots Vice Principal Carver talking into his walkie-talkie as he watches kids get in their buses, hand on his hip as he motions at a teacher all the way down the sidewalk. 

Vice Principal Carver was a tall handsome blonde man in his late 40’s, who looked like he could probably bench most of the eight graders in his class. He was very well liked, and practically everyone salivated at his image.  _ Everyone really likes him _ , Five thought, eyes widening as Carver looked in his direction, and looked away quickly. 

_ Five was wearing a grey T-shirt with a Tesla pop-art picture on it, it was his favorite, Vanya got it for him. Black basketball shorts. His socks were navy blue and had little cartoon spaceships and planets on it, and were pulled up to his knees, old habits and all that. He could feel the fabric against his skin. His shoes were red basketball shoes with white shoelaces, and white stripes. They had little black stars at the bottom that Five had drawn on when he was bored-- _

“Hey, Five. I think your sister is here.” Kenny breaks through, interrupting his panic, pointing at the black sleek car that Allison drove. Allison poked her head out through the window of the driver’s seat, and began to wave him over. Ray sat next to her on the passenger seat, holding a book, and Five guessed that he was reading to Claire. 

He picked up his backpack, and threw it over his shoulder, walking quickly towards the car and climbing in, waving goodbye at Kenny so his feelings wouldn't be hurt. 

“Hey, you. How was school?” Allison greeted, Claire shouting her own hello while Ray paused to greet him. 

“It was fine. Mrs. Bennings wants us to read Charlotte's Web next semester but she wants us to vote on it.” Five says, buckling in and leaning back, accepting a carrot stick from Claire while she watched Ray point out something in his book. She probably didn't understand, but it was better than watching her shows all the time on the tablet that hung from the back of the passenger seat. 

“Ugh, Charlotte’s Web.” Allison sighs wistfully and turns to Ray “Babe, remind me to show you the remake I was in, okay?” Ray nods, already used to her being famous. He took that very well in comparison to the digital camera Allison bought him so he could document his new experiences if she missed them. It was nice how much he loved her, that he accepted how many people claimed to love her as well so quickly. 

Ray continues to read, his calm soothing voice nearly sending Five to sleep before they finally arrive at the Academy. He helps Claire climb out and they make their way inside. The rest of the day is spent doing homework, then dinner, then homework again because he couldn't keep his mind from other things. 

He finally called it a day and decided that the mediocre essay was fine, his grade could handle it. He showered, and changed into his pajamas, the regular ones that he had from before. Allison told him she’d get him some new ones soon, though. Which was… more exciting than he wanted to admit. 

He climbed into bed, and was out like a light. 

“Mr. Chestnut,” 

Five tensed at hearing his name, turning to see Carver with his hair slicked back and nodding him towards his office. This felt a little too familiar. 

“Would you come to my office, please?” 

_ Five was wearing an orange T-shirt with blue squares on the sides. Soft jeans the color of… jeans. Red basketball shoes-- _

“Mr. Chestnut?” Carver sounded slightly irritated and impatient. He nodded toward the office again and Five forced his feet to move. He heard a few of the older eight grade girls whisper amongst themselves, some glaring in jealousy as they watched him walk by. 

He was probably being dramatic, Five thought. Carver seemed like a real nice guy, otherwise people wouldn't like him, right? Right. Because people would notice, wouldn't they? If something was off about the man? So it had to be fine that the man watched him pretty much all the time, he was probably making sure that everyone was behaving and not watching  _ him  _ specifically. 

Five was being paranoid, yes, paranoid. That’s why he always felt Carver’s eyes on him during lunch time and during his gym class. Why he visited Five’s classes nearly all the time. Why the man’s hand always seemed to find a way to touch him whenever Five walked by. The man had promised Allison to keep an eye on him after all. 

Allison had been running late on his first day, so she dropped him at the front office with his stuff and did a quick goodbye before taking off, leaving him with Mr. Carver, who smiled down at Five with an unsettling look that left Five feeling… not scared. Because Five didn’t get scared. He was the oldest thirteen year old in existence, for pete’s sake. He’d killed people bigger than Carver in seconds back with the Commission. 

_ But you're not in the commission now _ , a soft voice that sounded a lot like Delores whispered in his ear.  _ Now, you’re just a thirteen year old boy.  _

Five had looked away then, readjusting his backpack and accepting a caramel candy from one of the secretaries who looked like she’d stepped out of the 70’s. Then Carver’s hand found its slimy way to his shoulder, large fingers digging in slightly into Five’s collarbone, and Five resisted the urge to break his wrist. It wouldn't be wise to get expelled on his first day. 

“Come, I’ll give you a tour.” Carver had smiled. Five was confused, because they had told Allison that one of the kids from the student government would be giving him the tour. He said this to Carver who shook his head in amusement before taking his hand off his shoulder. 

“Right. You’re right.” Carver smiled, but Five knew the man was annoyed. That's when Kenny walked in, an unexpected saviour, and even more surprisingly -or not- the student government’s treasurer. Five had made his escape quickly from there, leaving Carver with his creepiness and following Kenny around for the rest of the day. 

From then, he always made sure to never be alone with the man. Unless he had no choice, like when he got in trouble for insulting people or fighting them. But maybe his paranoia was misplaced? After all the man never did anything to other kids, sure he touched them to give them encouraging pats on the back or he talked with them in the hallway, but never in a creepy way. Just in a regular way, like all the other teachers. 

_ Come on, Five. _ He says to himself, walking into the office _. Don't be silly.  _

Carver smiled, pulling the door closed after Five and shutting the window blinds. And Five took a shaky breath, taking in his surroundings. Carver had pictures of his wife, and last he heard she was pregnant with a little girl. There was a picture of a sonogram on a small frame on his desk, next to desk toys. 

“Candy?” Carver offered up a glass container filled to the brim, and Five’s eyes widened. Being thirteen, candy was like crack to him all over again. Specially considering Reginald never let them eat, unless they did it in secret. He reaches in a hand, grabbing a handful of starbursts and putting into his pocket, taking one to eat right now and the rest for later. 

Carver laughs, putting the cap back on and setting it on the small table next to his desk. He motions for Five to sit down across from him, and Five, with the hair on the back of his neck standing tall, does. 

“I just wanted to check in with you,” Carver smiles, sitting down as well and lacing his fingers. “See how you’re doing, make sure no one’s giving you trouble.” 

Five nods, shifting in his seat, and popping the orange candy into his mouth, hands stuttering and clenching as he watched Carver follow his movements. He didn't want to be here. 

“I’m okay.” Five shrugs, hating how small his voice sounds. 

“Really? I saw some of the kids bullying you the other day, are you sure?” Carver raises an unimpressed eyes brow. 

“I’m the smallest in my class, they were asking if I planned on growing more. They weren't bullying me, they were just being annoying.” Five isn't defending them, he’s actually telling the truth. The older kids were just being annoying. 

“Well, if you’re sure.” Carver shrugged, turning to his computer and clicking about on his computer for a bit before motioning Five over. Five didn’t move though, frozen to his seat as he swallowed the candy. 

“Come, I want to show your schedule for next year. Make sure your math classes are the right college level.” At this, Five perked up. Math  _ was  _ his favorite thing. He stood up, forcing his feet to move forward, which became easier when Carver stood, standing behind the chair. 

Five made his way around the desk, peeking into the computer screen. The words were small, so he had to lean forward to make it out. He felt excitement burst through him, spotting his future high school’s logo and seeing his normal classes like english, history and whatever else already scheduled, with a separate section on the bottom listing his college math classes that took place in the small building next to the school. It’d be interesting to be with other people who were good at math, especially since he hadn't been able to take math this year, having to spend the rest of his time in the library. Which, okay, wasn't terrible. 

Five read through the classes, it looked a bit intimidating all those long titles and teacher names with no faces. But it was also exciting. But mostly scary considering people often told horror stories about high school. And it wasn't like the others could give him advice, could they? They'd never been to high school either. 

“It looks good.” Five shrugs, unintentionally memorizing the schedule already. The ceramics class was bound to be interesting. So was gym class if he didn’t grow more. A hand lightly grazing his back snapped him out of his thoughts, and he tensed. The hand trailed slowly down his back, a ghostly touch that was barely there, and Five suddenly turned. Maybe it was an accident? Carver was being nice, wasn't he? He probably wasn't even touching him, maybe it was just his imagination. 

But Carver hadn't taken his hand back. In fact his other hand was making his way to Five’s face. And Five shuddered with disgust and fear. He cringed into himself and backed into the desk, realizing he was trapped. 

“You’re very mature for your age, you know that?” Carver says, voice low as he comes closer and Five feels like crying. “No wonder you’re taking college classes, you’re so smart.” 

“Thank you.” Five says, before attempting to break from his hold, only to be stopped by the hand on his back. 

“Where are you going? I just want to talk to you.” Carver tightens his hold, and Five feels stupidly useless. Powerless. He hates it. 

“I should get back to class.” Five says, and attempts to go again. Carver laughs before pulling him closer, and it all happens so fast it leaves his head spinning. Five attempts to break away again, but Carver doesn't let him. 

“You can’t leave without a pass,” Carver says, a mocking tone in his voice like he’s enjoying it. “They’ll think you’re ditching and you’ve been in enough trouble as it is. You think they'll believe you? You’ve disappointed your family enough, haven’t you?” Carver is running a disgusting hand down his side. 

“People saw me walk in here.” Five stutters, and his eyes burn. 

“And then they went to class. For all they know, you were here for a few seconds and then you went off somewhere else.” Carver shrugs. “You should do what I tell you.” He whispers. 

Five starts fighting back when Carver leans in to kiss him, turning his head and hitting at the man’s chest, while Carver holds him still. Carver gets angrier, and distracted, and Five- seeing an opportunity, kicks him in the balls, pushing him off when he bowls over and runs out the door throwing it open with force. 

He ignores the security guard that yells at him as he runs through the hallways, before making it to the entrance, pushing past a guidance counselor and running outside. He doesn't stop running for a while, not until he reaches the park where they get ice cream. 

He considers going into the shop, and ask to borrow a phone since he left his at school, but feels too shaky. Too grossed out with Carver… with himself. He wants to forget what the man’s fingers feel like, what his breath smells like. He wants to feel like he’s actually  _ thirteen _ , for fuck’s sake. 

Why did he let this happen? Why didn't he run earlier? Why didn't he ignore the man and keep on walking? Why didn't he  _ teleport  _ out, dammit? Did he do something? Something to make the man think it was okay to touch him like that? To- to try to kiss him? 

He goes further into the trees, sitting down underneath one and burying his face into arms. He’s shaking but he doesn't cry. Because he won’t. He won’t. 

He wakes up to someone screaming his name, but he feels too tired to get up from where he’s curled up. _ It’s dark _ , he thinks, watching a plant illuminated by the moon. 

He’s not cold, though. Someone screams his name again, and he thinks maybe he should call out. But what if it’s Carver? What if he’s come for him? He closes his eyes tightly before opening them again. 

“Five!” A male voice screams out. He thinks it might be Diego. The voice gets closer after a few minutes, and Five curls into himself. Another ten minutes pass and he feels someone shaking him, but he doesn't open his eyes. Too tired. He doesn't even open them when arms carry him, running. He thinks he should fight whoever is taking him, but he doesn't really care if he dies at the moment. 

He wakes up in a hospital bed, which is annoying because of the beeping and even more annoying because the sunlight nearly blinds him. He hears someone shift beside him, and turns his head to see Allison and Diego slumped over each other. 

Vanya is reading sheet music, and Klaus is talking to the wall. Or Ben. His throat is dry, so he coughs, startling all of them. 

“Oh my god, Five!” Allison stands, hovering over him while Vanya heads over to the corner of the room, returning with a cup of ice chips and handing it to Five as Klaus adjusts the bed so he can sit up. It’s nice. 

“Five, what the hell?” Diego says, and reaches for Five, who screams. They jump back in surprise, and Diego snatches his hand back like he was burned. Five’s eyes widen, and he goes to apologize, but words don't come out. 

“Five,” Vanya whispers, wanting to ask but can’t bring herself to ask. 

“Fivey, what’s wrong?” Klaus whispers with an edge to his voice. 

“Five, did someone hurt you? Why are there bruises on you?” Allison has a soft tone in her voice, like she’s scared but also incredibly angry. Five feels like crying, again. So he lays back down, and turns his back on them, looking at the purple bruises on his arms and wrists until he falls asleep. 

When he wakes up, Klaus is the only one there. 

“They went to get coffee.” Klaus explains, his  _ hello  _ hand wrapped around a paper cup that he sets next to the bed. Five appreciates the gesture, Klaus not risking brushing hands was one of the nicest things he’s done. 

Five sits up, takes the coffee and looks at the wrist band wrapped around him. His new name and birthday are written on block letters. Nicholas Chestnut, 10/01/2005. Allison was the one with the money, so she was the one who bought his new life with lawyers and whatever else. She definitely was going for sister of the year, wasn’t she? 

She was taking a very small break from her career so people didn’t find out about him. It would be weird if people knew that she adopted a boy that looks so much like her presumed dead brother, and gave him the same name. Wouldn’t it? 

“Five.” Klaus sounds sober. Well, as sober as he could look with bloodshot eyes and eyeliner smeared around his big colorful eyes. He was wearing his green shirt from vietnam over a pink long sleeved shirt and blue fluffy pants. Always an interesting fashion statement, with him. 

“Yes?” His voice is raspy, and he sips his coffee. 

“You’ve been asleep for a day, and you were near hypothermic when Diego and I found you.” Klaus is so serious, it unsettles him. 

“You know-” Klaus begins to lean forward before thinking better of it, and adjusts himself in his seat. “I was seventeen when I left the academy.” Five looks at him with narrowed eyes, wondering where his brother was going with this non-sequitur. 

“I crashed with a friend for a while, he was older, and he gave me anything I wanted. Drugs, money, whatever.” Klaus sighs “And I thought of him as like- an uncle, I don’t know. Until one day, he-” Klaus looks like he wants to throw up, and Five reaches out, setting a hand on Klaus’s  _ goodbye  _ hand. It surprises both of them, and Klaus laces his fingers with Five’s. 

“He tried to have his way with me. I pushed him away, but he kept trying until finally I just punched him and ran out. I haven’t seen him since, but-” Klaus’ hand tightens a little. “But sometimes, I feel like he’s still on me. He was disgusting, and I thought I could trust him. And I felt so wrong, all I wanted to do was crawl into a hole and never come out.” 

Klaus leans in a little, and takes Five’s hand into both the  _ hello  _ and  _ goodbye  _ hands. “I just want you to know that I understand that you don't want to talk about it. And that’s okay, you can do whatever your little heart desires.” He smiles, a little brokenly “But I also want you to know that I regret not turning him in. For all I know he’s picked up another kid. And I feel guilty sometimes, like I should’ve done more, but I know that it’s not my fault. Mostly from Ben telling me, but it wasn't my fault. And I hope that he never hurt anyone again but I don’t know. I don’t know what would've happened if I had called the cops, and I don’t know what will happen if you do decide to tell. But I know that we’ll be here for you. Or at least,  _ I  _ will be.” 

Five wants to hug him, but can't bring himself to. It’s still too much. But he tightens his grip on Klaus’ hand, and that feels enough for now. 

He wakes up around eight, Klaus is passed out on the chair next to him, and Allison is gone, leaving behind a note that says she had to go back to Claire. He feels guilty from taking her away from her kid when she already has limited custody. Ray was reading a book out loud, To Kill a Mockingbird, not Five’s copy but he suspected his backpack was somewhere in the room. Diego was by the window eating a snack and talking quietly with Luther. 

“Diego?” Five’s voice was raspy, from lack of use. Diego snapped towards him, eyes widening and coming closer slowly. Five wanted to snap, tell him he’s not made of glass. But it helped. He didn't want it to help, he didn't want to feel like this. 

“Can you get Patch?” Five asks, he knew the detective from after her comma. She seemed nice enough, and she was on his better books since she saved Klaus. Diego looks confused and concerned but he nods, pulling out his phone and dialing as he makes his way out of the room. 

Luther wanders over, still too small for his big body but gentle as he carries over a cup of ice chips. Ray pulls up a tray, setting to-go containers on it before adjusting it so Five can reach. Its soup. Nothing too heavy, he guessed. Not until he was out of the hospital, which might be soon as he was feeling better. Ray talks to him as he eats about the book, and brings up some of his experiences to see if they could help Five with his english homework. It was nice of Ray to attempt at a relationship with him even if he was only his father in name. He was definitely a better father figure that Reginald, and Claire loved him to bits. 

He eats his soup, and drinks his ice chips until Patch comes in, looking calm and professional while she asks everyone to leave the room. She’s kind, and pretty. She looks like she’ll believe him. 

“Hello, Five, or should I say Nicky? Heard the nurse call you that when I asked how you were.” She smiles, sitting down on the chair where Klaus had been and adjusting herself. Five would let the nickname slide as long as she keeps letting his siblings come and go when they please and bring him food that isn't from the hospital. 

“Hello.” His voice sounds small, too young. Fuck, he hates it. “Five is fine.” 

“Diego tells me you wanted to see me?” She says. “Do I need to pull out the notebook?” She attempts to joke, but it falls flat and awkward. She was still getting used to being back on the job, the turtle neck she wore hid the bullet wound from sight, and Five guessed he was about to be her first case. If it even was a case. 

“Yes.” Five says, and Patch nods grimly before pulling out a small black notebook and pen. She gives him all her attention, which is about as unsettling as it is comforting. 

“My um- my vice principal.” Five stutters, and he wonders how the hell Diego deals. Patch looks ten times more concerned as she leans forward. 

“He tried to-” There’s a lump on his throat. Patch reaches into her bag and pulls out a little travel box filled with tissues, and hands it over. Five accepts it, but he won’t cry. 

“Five, honey-” Five wants to tell her not to call him that, but he still can’t bring himself to speak. “If this is serious, I need to take your statement. And I need a guardian for that.” 

“Do I have to?” He doesn't want them to know, he doesn't. 

“I’m afraid so.” She says, apology in her voice. “Is it okay if I call Allison?” 

“No.” He says “Ray is my guardian, too. He can come in, it’ll be faster.” He wasn't gonna stop Claire from spending time with her mom. More than he already did, anyway. 

“Are you sure?” She accepts a nod as his answer, muttering an okay as she stands and calls out for Ray, who comes in with a confused and concerned expression. He leans against the wall but doesn't say anything, watching as Patch sits down. 

“Okay, Five. Whenever you’re ready.” Patch gets her pen ready again. Ray looks like he wants to talk but thinks better of it. 

“Umm,” God, why did he start off like this? He takes a deep breath before continuing, getting his damn emotions in check. “He got me in his office, and he gave me some candy. He said he wanted to check in with me because he thought I was being bullied.” 

Suddenly, he’s back there again. Carver giving his dark smiles with that disgusting look in his eyes. 

“H-he pulled up my schedule for next year to show me, and stood behind me when I checked it over.” He hears Ray draw in a sharp breath and cover his face with his hands. He scratches at the paper cup where his ice chips had been and struggles not to crush it in his hands. 

“I was distracted, and then I felt his hand-” Ray shifts, and Patch tilts her head as she listens. He can feel Ray become angry on his behalf, and it makes him… not happy. But it makes him feel better. 

“He touched my back, and when I turned around he wouldn’t let go of me. He said I was mature for my age, and that I was very smart. He said he just wanted to talk to me, but he kept touching me.” Ray goes over to the counter and gets him another cup of ice chips. Five guessed he needed something to do. 

“Then when I tried to go and say that I should get back, he said that erm-” He pops some ice chips into his mouth “He said I couldn’t leave without a pass, or I’d get in trouble. He said that I was already in enough trouble and that I should do what he wanted because I had disappointed my family enough.” 

Ray looks angrier by the second, and Patch looks- well, he guessed she’d been through some of these situations before based on the look on her eyes. 

“He kept his hands on me, that’s when I got the bruises.” Five motions to the still there bruises and Patch notes something down on her notebook. “Then he- he tried to kiss me.” Five doesn’t look at Ray, afraid that his disgust will be thrown in his direction. 

“I didn’t let him, though.” He defends “I kicked him in the- private area and ran out. That's how I ended up in the park. That's how I ended up here.” Patch nods, and after Five tells her he’s done, she closes her notebook. 

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Five.” Patch looks like she knows her words don’t help. “I promise I will do my absolute best with this.” She means it, he can tell. 

“I will have to have someone come in and take pictures of the bruises, I’ll also need to collect your clothes, and I’ll probably have to come back and ask more questions.” Patch gets up, and leans in close, and Five is afraid she’ll try to hug him when she talks. “Five, are you sure that you don’t need a rape kit?” She whispers, and Ray draws in another sharp breath from the wall where he’s standing. Five feels queasy. 

“I’m sure.” 

True to her word, Patch does have someone take pictures of his bruises and they discover some on his lower back from when he hit the desk. His clothes are put in an evidence bag and he says goodbye to his favorite shoes. He wonders what Carver is doing, he knows that they need evidence before arresting him. At least he thinks so. 

The others don't ask, and Ray doesn't tell them. 

He thinks he should tell them, but he doesn't really want to. He’s afraid that they’ll blame him. Which deep down he knows they won’t, but something in the back of his mind keeps picking at him that they will. 

He has an inkling that Diego had tried to get it out of Patch but failed, and Allison had dropped Claire off back at the airport so she could be with her dad, and she was gonna come to the hospital in a few hours.

“I’m sorry, Five.” Ray had said, after Patch left. He was tense and angry, but softened when he talked to Five. Five had shrugged, for lack of a better answer, and wished for a bottle of whiskey. But he wasn't allowed to drink anymore. Ray sat down next to him, in what Five had dubbed Klaus’ chair. 

“Listen, I know we’re not related- biologically.” Ray starts, a little uncomfortable right off the bat. “But I really  _ would  _ like to have a relationship with you.” 

Five stayed quiet for a bit, a little in shock and surprise, and part of him wonders if its only because of what happened. 

“Even if you never see me as a father figure. I still want to be there for you.” Ray continued, watching him earnestly with his serious brown eyes. Five felt like he was in a spotlight. He felt his cheeks warm and looked away. “And I will be here for you with this.” Ray hands him his copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. Five accepts the book and smiles slightly at the man. 

“Thanks, Ray.” 

“We removed Carver from the school for the time being, until we can prove he’s a legitimate threat to the students. He’s not allowed anywhere near the school, or you for that matter. We’ve arranged for a temporary restraining order, and a police officer will be right outside your house to make sure he doesn't come anywhere near you” Patch is wearing a blue turtleneck this time as she hands him a burger, and she speaks so calmly and in control it helps ease the knot in his stomach. 

It was Five’s first day back from the hospital, and bed rest was recommended. The doctor had handed Ray a blue folder with butterflies before they had left with all his discharge papers, a prescription and in the back- a list of trauma psychologists that specialize in children. 

The others still didn’t know, with the exception of Ray. He could tell they wanted to know, and he knew he’d have to tell them soon, but he was biding his time. That’s why he didn't fight the bedrest, his new way of avoiding his siblings. What a healthy relationship. 

“The principal has arranged for me to talk to some students that spend time with Carver frequently. Your name will not be mentioned at any point during these interviews just so you know. We just want to make sure he didn’t hurt anybody else.” Patch sits down and watches him pick at his burger for a bit before he pushes it away and reaches for his milkshake. Peanut butter, thank god. 

“Okay.” Five bites at the straw before looking over at Patch. “I’m worried that someone will find out and tell the media. Can that happen?” 

Patch looks at him for a few seconds before sighing. “It can.” 

The knot is back. 

“But that’s not for you to worry about Five. You’ve been through something traumatic, something no kid should go through.” He kind of wants to tell her about the apocalypse. Tell her that this was stupid, and that he should’ve kept his mouth shut because this was nothing compared to being alone for decades. Tell her he would do it again if it meant no one found out. 

“Whatever happens if someone were to tell the press, Allison can handle it. She and Ray will protect you, as well as the others.” At his silence, she responds by trying for a comforting smile and steals a nugget. 

He tells the others after Patch leaves, blinking to the living room where they are obviously having a family meeting. Ray is holding a sandwich with peanut butter and marshmallow, and looks like he was about to head upstairs. Five wonders why everyone is trying to feed him. He takes the sandwich though. 

Diego is unsurprisingly angry, he wants to go find the bastard and castrate him. But he’s also gentle when he asks if he’s okay. Vanya looks in shock before looking like she wants to cry, but doesn’t, and the sky suddenly turns a dark gray. Klaus sits down next to him but is careful not to touch him until Five throws his feet on his lap as he picks at the crust of the sandwich. Luther is also in shock, and his hands are clenched tightly, but he doesn't speak. Allison cries, and goes to hug before she thinks better of it and hugs Ray instead. 

Overall, it's a very productive meeting. Klaus makes them promise they won’t do anything stupid like fuck up the investigation and they watch a movie on the TV Allison bought. Five feels better watching Ice Age: Dawn of The Dinosaurs, even though it's such dumb kid thing to do. It reminds of Claire, and about how he was technically thirteen. Besides, it's not like he misses the old man body, with all its aches from sleeping on broken concrete and rubble. 

Deep down though, he knows he feels better because he’s with them. Because Vanya makes him popcorn while Allison goes to phone her lawyers again. Luther gets him all the blankets from the closet, and Diego cuts him fruit. Klaus sits next to him, mocking the stupid squirrel from the movie and repeating what Ben says in regards to the sexualized female squirrel that somehow has blue eye shadow. Even Ray, who is looking at the television screen like it personally offended him. 

He doesn't bring up the media thing, mostly because he doesn't want to disturb the peace, but because he thinks about what Patch said. About them protecting him. He believes her. 

“There is a sophomore at the high school that came forward yesterday. His sister is a sixth grader at your school so he heard it from her.” Patch brought him another milkshake, peanut butter, and no burger this time. “He’s the only one that we’ve found so far but it’s only been a few days, and we don’t think there’s many more to be honest. Carver seems to pick on… troublemakers, and he seems to do it very rarely, but we’ll keep on looking.” 

“Did Carver-?” Five goes to ask if Carver had gotten what he wanted from the now older boy, but he figures that the kid probably wouldn't want that information with just anyone. Patch smiles sadly but doesn't answer the question he didn't ask. 

Five drinks his smoothie, watches Allison tense with anger and she pulls out her phone. He guesses the lawyers will have to represent all the kids Patch finds. Warmth spread through him, even as he wonders if they’ll have to go to court. 

Patch can’t come over because of the recent storms, but she calls him, and she sounds satisfied but somber. 

_ “We found two other students, and Carver is officially fired and banned from school grounds. We’re getting a warrant for his arrest soon.”  _

That should make him feel better, shouldn’t it? 

Allison asks if he wants to change schools. He says yes. He thinks he’ll miss Kenny. He thinks everyone knows it was him that got Carver fired. 

  
  


It's a week before he feels like getting out of bed. And it's only because he’s bored. He texts Kenny, no doubt surprising the poor kid, and asks if he wants to go to the park. Vanya had calmed down some, so the storms had taken a break. 

Kenny doesn’t answer for a bit, and Five has a knot in his stomach. Because what if Kenny knows? Anxiety crawls through him when his phone beeps. 

_Sorry_ , it says, _chess club ran over._ _Sure, which park?_

He rolls his eyes, like he should’ve known, but still shakes a bit as he makes his way to his closet, pulling out the pink skating shoes Klaus had bought him, a grey T-shirt and some shorts. Five texts him the address of the park where Klaus and Diego found him and asks Ray to drive him. He’s still too tired to travel long distances. 

Kenny doesn’t notice anything off, says the teachers have been acting weird and sad, pulling students out of class and sometimes the students go home instead of going back to class. There was an assembly on stranger danger, and Kenny shares his footnotes. 

“Did you know that most of the time, when someone wants to hurt you like that, it's someone you trust? Like family, or a teacher, or something?” 

_ Yeah, Kenny. _ Five thinks. _ I know that now.  _

They mess around a bit, chasing each other, or the ball Kenny’s dad had insisted he brought before Kenny asks where he's been. 

“I got pneumonia.” Five lies. “So I had to stay home.” 

“Oh,” Kenny frowns “Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Five nods, and kicks the ball across the grass. 

There’s a woman sitting on the steps of the academy when he gets there, having walked home after telling Ray to stay home. Ray had looked like he wanted to protest, but Five had his ways. Turns out puppy dog eyes work over the phone.

“Hi, are you Nicholas?” He nods in affirmation and watches as she swallows thickly. “ My name is Lauren.” The woman smiles gently as she stands, wary like she’s afraid she’ll scare him off. She’s tall, in her early thirties, with blonde fairy tale curls falling gently on her shoulders. She was wearing a grey pencil skirt and a pastel pink blouse. She was also heavily pregnant. 

“Hello.” Five says, a question in his greeting, wondering who she was and what she was doing sitting outside the academy. He was sweaty, and tired. Two people had stopped him to ask if he needed help finding his mom and he just wanted to take a shower. But at least no one at school knew he was involved with the whole Carver thing. If Kenny, the gossip mill that he was, didn't suspect, then no one did. 

“I’m-” The woman pauses, resting her hand on her stomach, as if petting her child. “I’m Michael Carver’s wi- ex wife. Soon to be anyway” She says, finally. Five suddenly remembered the picture from the office, the woman had been younger then and in a wedding dress with cake smeared on her cheek, smiling brightly. 

“Are you allowed to be here?” Five asks. Suddenly wary. The woman shrugs. 

“I just wanted to tell you-” She chokes on her words. Five can see the cracks in someone who’s close to being broken. She takes a deep breath. “He denied it at first.” 

Five feels like running away. He thinks she feels the same way. 

“But after that Jamie kid came forward, I knew he was lying. So I asked him again, and he told me everything.” She fixes her skirt. 

“He said a lot. He told me about you. That he didn’t know what was wrong with him. He didn’t mean to hurt anyone. He couldn’t control himself. But it’s bullshit, isn’t it?” She asks, almost like she’s talking to herself. Five doesn't answer, feels awkward when she begins to cry. They stand there quietly, Five feeling awkward and anxious. Her feeling like utter shit. 

“I’m sorry.” She says, finally. “I guess- I just wanted to prove to myself that you’re real. That this really was happening.” She wipes her tears away with the back of her hand before setting it on her belly again. “But I shouldn’t have come. All I did was make things worse. Maybe specially for you.” 

Five shrugs. He’s been having a hard time with words lately, hasn’t he? 

“I just wanted to say thank you.” At this, he does look up. Confusion written all over him. She smiles with shame. 

“I know all his… victims were boys. But-” She pats her stomach again, and Five suddenly understands, nausea turning him inside out over and over. He looks away, focusing on a leaf on the floor, and wishing he could melt into a puddle. 

“You should know, I’ll testify against him. I will do whatever it takes to make sure he never goes anywhere near a child without a big red sign hanging over him.” She says, and the cracks come together, glues with anger. He looks at her and sees how furious and betrayed she is, and thinks about the sonogram on the cheap frame in Carver’s office. 

“I’m sorry. I really am. I’m so fucking sorry.” 

She walks away. 

He doesn't see Lauren again. Carver pleads guilty, so they don't have to go to trial, and no one has to set foot in a courtroom, the judge sends him a nice letter basically telling him what will happen to Carver, and kind of implies that he won’t fare well in prison. It’s a copy, addressed to five other boys as well so he guessed they knew what he knew. 

Carver had seen the team of Harvard lawyers, and knew he was done for, so he gave up quite easily. Diego tells him it’s because his family cut him off, and the poor lawyer that had been assigned to him was too grossed out to try to defend him well. 

Five gets money from him, some sort of reparations thing, because the man was apparently very well off for a government employee, and he asks Allison to get it to Lauren for her baby. It's not like he needs it. 

Allison nods, and trades him for a blue envelope with stickers on it, says the other boys asked to get it to him as Five hadn’t been there when they had given their statement to the police. The letter is written on Spider Man themed notebook paper with a mix of different hand writings, obviously written by different people at a time. It has a police stamp seal on the bottom and he guessed they had done it when Patch wasn’t looking, as it was slightly sideways. 

_ Dear Five,  _

_ Cool nickname. Patch accidentally let it slip, but it’s okay, because she’s pretty, so you should forgive her. Anyway, if you want to talk -you don’t have to, obviously- but if you do, you can talk to us. We can start a trauma boy band and go on tour or something. We’ll probably be famous because we’re so handsome and damaged or whatever. Honestly though, you  _ _ can  _ _ talk to us. We’re probably the ones who understand the most. Jamie’s dead uncle left behind a house full of glass, so you can come break things with us if you want. Cheaper than therapy.  _

_ Signed,  _

_ The Trauma Team _

He scans through the list, it has their names, and ages, with their emails and phone numbers.

Jamie Landon, 15. 

Lucas Gutierrez, 18.

Jesse Lyman, 16.

Abed Singh, 15. 

Alex Yeun, 17. 

He looks at the list for a few minutes, listens as he hears his siblings buzzing about downstairs. Hears Vanya laugh at Allison, Diego argue with Luther as Klaus belts out a Broadway song no one has ever heard of. 

He adds their numbers to his contact list. 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I'm not going to lie. This was very therapeutic. I gave Five the justice I never got when I was a kid, and that felt good! I didn't realize how many things I still have bottled up, haha. I just- I'm feeling. I don't know. Better, and worse I suppose. Anyway, Thanks for reading. Please tell me if I missed a tag.


End file.
